What do gH and Hg represent, respectively?
Conditions
- H is a subgroup of G
- g is an element of the group G
Reasoning, step by step
- Identify the subgroup H and the element g.
- Recognize that multiplying g on the left of H (gH) forms the left coset.
- Recognize that multiplying g on the right of H (Hg) forms the right coset.
- Note that if H is normal, the left and right cosets coincide ().
Example
The instructor explicitly says, "Actually, this is the left coset... and this is the right coset," while circling and on the board respectively.
Common misconceptions
- Confusing the order of multiplication; is not necessarily equal to unless H is a normal subgroup.
- Thinking that cosets are elements of the group; they are subsets of the group.
Watch the explanation
Connected concepts
Explore next
Related questions
A normal subgroup (also called an invariant subgroup) is a subgroup H of a group G such that all conjugates of every element in H belong to H. Algebraically, this condition is expressed as for any element in G.
Conditions: H is a subgroup of G; The condition must hold for all elements in H; The condition must hold for all elements g in G
A normal subgroup satisfies because its defining property is that it is invariant under conjugation, meaning . By right-multiplying both sides of this equation by , the and cancel out, yielding the equality of the left coset and the right coset .
Conditions: H is a normal subgroup of G; g is an element of the group G
No, replacing the representative element g with another element g' from the same coset does not yield a different coset. If g' belongs to the same coset as g (i.e., ), then the coset generated by g' is identical to the coset generated by g ().
Conditions: g and g' are both elements of the group G; g' and g belong to the same coset
We can traverse all elements of a group G by constructing cosets using a subgroup H. By multiplying every element g in G with the subgroup H (forming left cosets gH or right cosets Hg), the union of all distinct cosets covers every element of G exactly once.
Conditions: G is a group; H is a subgroup of G
We can intuitively understand a normal subgroup by visualizing the group G as an outer rectangle and the subgroup H as an inner rectangle. The condition means that if you 'transport' the entire region H using an element g and then bring it back using , the resulting region still lies completely within H.
Conditions: H is a subgroup of G; g is an element of G outside H
Answers are generated from source material and independently checked. Consult the original video or creator if something is unclear.